NYPD Arrested City Councilman and Public Advocate Staffer During Yesterday’s West Indian Day Parade

If you’re an elected official and you want to exit a parade route to attend a luncheon, don’t do it when the New York Police Department is buzzing around. You will be arrested. And your time will be horribly wasted. Yesterday, city councilman Jumaane Williams and a staffer to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Kirsten John Foy, were handcuffed and Foy was shoved to the ground (see video below) after they attempted to exit the West Indian Day Parade to dine at a luncheon at the Brooklyn Museum.

According to NBC New York, even after Williams and Foy tried to show the officers their credentials, they were not allowed to pass. Witnesses said 15-20 police showed up and shoved Williams and his entourage. Foy was knocked to the ground. Cops said the situation escalated because someone in the crowd pushed a police captain. Williams and Foy were held at Union Temple of Brooklyn, charged with nothing and released an hour later.

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries told the Daily News that this incident was “further evidence of the siege mentality the NYPD has unleashed against black men in New York City.” Watch this video of the altercation, and you might see where Jeffries is coming from.